AUGUST 25, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO Sometimes
I just have to pinch myself, hard. I have been
to three of the most magnificent California
settings, and all in one week. (I guess the universe was helping
to balance the ridiculous pain I was in last week from my %$#& toe
injury. Much better now, thank you.)

The
trifecta of gorgeous started with a turbo
trip up to Healdsburg to dine at the Madrona
Manor, what a stunner. The Victorian manor is such a special
place: dining on the back verandah is something
out of dreamy movie, and the gardens were spectacular
(the talented gardener, Geno Ceccato, even
has his name on the menu!). Chef Jesse Mallgren
is doing such delicious and innovative cuisine—we'd
be lucky to have his tasting menus in San Francisco.
Plus tableside coffee, cheese, and ice cream
service? Yes please.

Oh yeah, and the magical meal was followed the next day by some of
the best damned pizzas I've had in California at Diavola
Pizzeria in Geyserville—Dino Bugica is one hell of a pizzaiolo.
(I'll be posting an update to my Healdsburg jetsetterpieces on
both of these places shortly.)

Saturday I drove up to Lake Tahoe, thoroughly enjoying the
trip up Highway 50. Year in, year out, the wonder of this sapphire
of a lake never ceases to blow my mind. True mountain majesty. And
I might add there is nothing like cruising the windy road near Emerald
Bay at sunset in an Alfa with the top down and radio bumpin', I gotta
confess. We were both purring. Well, until the lagging Prius
driver held us up (sorry, they are the new
worst drivers on the road—come on, you can at least drive the speed
limit!)

After having to sequester myself for a day of book editing (no easy
feat up here!), I let myself off the chain Sunday evening and scooted
over to the Sierra Valley for a Dinner
in the Barn event with Sierra
Valley Farms and Moody's
Bistro of Truckee. It was such a memorable experience that
I had to write it up for you, stat. Check it out in fresh meat.

Yup, I
am one lucky, lucky woman. And I'm also a
tired one—when I haven't been on the road
this past week, I've been parked at my computer
way too much. Deadlines, deadlines. Blergh.
And FYI, next week's transmission is going to be a shorty—I have
to write it in advance since my lovely designer will be off to Burning
Man (safe travels to all of you headin' out to the playa!). And besides,
the beach at Sugar Pine Point is calling me, "Oh yooooooooo hooooooooo!
You there, at the computer! Time to get outside and jump in the lake!"

AUGUST 25, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO Whoa,
some local restaurants have been taken down with fires this past week,
damn. Last Friday, ~CHOW~ in
the Castro suffered a fire in the flue in the morning, and will
now be closed for a few weeks for repairs. Will let you know when the
reopening is in sight, so you can resume your ginger cake with pumpkin
ice cream consumption. 215 Church St. at Market, 415-552-2469.

And then this
Tuesday before lunchtime, ~TADICH GRILL~ also
suffered a fire in the flue. Fortunately, it was contained,
and they are already open again. See, San Francisco's oldest
restaurant is tough like that. 240 California St. at Front, 415-391-1849.

In the
fire-comeback category ~LIMON~ in
the Mission is reopening at the end of this week, potentially
even on Thursday. It now has a refreshed
interior (Eater has some pics of the new space here),
and a ceviche bar will now be located in the
front of the restaurant. 524 Valencia St. at
16th St., 415-252-0918.

Another
opening this week: ~MAZU~ is
opening in the old Rohan Lounge space (they are targeting this
week, with Sunday at the latest). As I previously
mentioned in tablehopper, a former Rohan server,
her sister (who is a chef), and their good
friend (who was a bartender and server at Rohan)
all went in together and took it over, naming
it after a mythological goddess of the sea. The partners are sisters
KK and Silma Salamin, and good friend Leah Adiol—they are all
local San Franciscans who grew up together.
They will continue the soju lounge style, serving
Pan-Asian fare (chef Silma Salamin has worked
at Ozumo, Hayes Street Grill, and Mezze in Oakland). Look for new art,
DJs, and a freshening up of the space (new upholstery for the booths,
paint, etc.). You can look at a PDF of the menu here.
According to the site, hours will be Tue–Sun
11:30am–2:30pm and 5pm–11pm. 3809 Geary Blvd.
at 2nd Ave., 415-221-9800.

Folks
have been wondering what was going into the
former Deep
Sushi space in Noe Valley, and I finally got
a lead on the haps. It’s going to be called
~DEEP~, and chef Thomas Weibull, formerly of Plouf
and Des Amis, is the executive chef (he was
brought on by the real estate partners to run the restaurant). He
was with the Belden Place Frenchies (Olivier Azancot and Eric Klein)
since 2002, and the head chef of Plouf since 2004, but was ready
for a change of pace—he left Plouf at the end of July. Deep is going
to be focused on Japanese small plates (some will be modern izakaya
in style), and using local and seasonal ingredients when possible.
They will also be making their own tofu. While some sushi will be
available, it will be less of a focus than the previous incarnation
as Deep Sushi. Weibull told me he is still in the process of hiring
a sushi chef; he’ll have more info, including the opening date for
me soon (possibly mid-September). The space is currently being redone,
with more seating being added in the back (previously the lounge
area), and they are also working on a Zen garden behind the restaurant!
1740 Church St. at 29th St.

Grub
Street New York has the news about Nate Appleman's next
project: he will be working with Keith McNally on ~PULINO PIZZERIA~,
a new pizza project in the Bowery. According to the post, the opening
is slated for December.

As for some local pizza, over in Cow Hollow, ~PIZZERIA
AVELLINO~ has officially opened in the Curbside
Taqueria location. New York–style and
Napoletana pizzas in the casa. Hours are Mon–Thu 11:30am–10pm,
Fri–Sat 11:30am–11pm, and Sun 11:30am–10pm. 2769 Lombard St.
at Lyon, 415-776-2500.

It's time for a snack attack!

A new taco truck is in the mix: look for ~KUNG
FU TACOS~ in the FiDi, doing up Chinese tacos with
fillings like char siu (BBQ pork), mu shu vegetable, and duck,
stuffed in La Palma tortillas. They usually serve Mon–Fri from
11am–2:30pm (or until they run out). Follow their Twitter
feed for other locations, new menu items, etc. Parked
at Sansome and Jackson.

More FiDi bites: ~BATTER
BAKERY~ (you may know these treats from Blue Fog
Market and Stable) is opening a kiosk tomorrow (Wednesday)
in a former flower stand. They'll be doing breakfast treats (muffins,
scones, quick bread, coffeecake) and desserts (lots of cookies,
brownies/bars, cupcakes, biscotti, shortbread); flavor varieties
will change weekly. They will also be doing some fun ready-made
mixed boxes for people to pick up for office breakfasts or meetings.
Hours will be Mon–Fri 7am–4pm to start. 555 California St. at
Kearny, 415-706-8076.

You
just can't stop Anthony Myint and ~MISSION
STREET FOOD~. MSF has launched ~MISSION
BURGER~ inside the Duc Loi supermarket. What
this means for you is a mighty delicious
beef or vegan burger, plus fries, starting
at noon daily (except Thursday, which
is a Mission Street Food day) and possibly
running until 2pm or 3pm or so. According
to their site, here's more on your options:
the beef burger is 1/3 lb. of aged Harris
Ranch brisket, short rib, and chuck,
granulated* and seared in beef fat (beeftastic!).
It's served with Monterey jack, caramelized
onion, and caper aioli on a griddled
Acme bun ($8). The vegan burger ($7)
features a maitake, shiitake, roasted
kale, edamame, scallion, sesame seed, and fava-chickpea patty,
and is served with avocado and miso "mayo" (they
are using seaweed instead of egg yolks)
on a griddled Acme bun. Fries are $2.
There isn't a place to eat it, so be
prepared to stand there and wolf it like
the hungry beast you are. 2200 Mission
St. at 18th St. (Photo by Jared
Zimmerman.)

*About
that granulation, here's what MSF says on the site: "granulation
is our term for the process popularized by Heston Blumenthal, a Michelin
3-star chef based in London. Blumenthal combines strands of ground
meat to create a loosely grained "meat column" (not Blumenthal's
phrase), then slices the column into patties.
The result is, well, a delicacy."

Also heard ~LET'S
BE FRANK~ is offering beers for $2 on Mondays
when you order a dog from 4pm until closing. And don't forget,
on Tuesdays you get any two dogs for just $8, all day. But Wednesday
is the day I really want to swing by because they have an Alsatian
Dog, a family-farmed pork bratwurst with house-made choucroute (a
blend of sauerkraut, roasted onions, bacon, juniper, bay, and
allspice that has been simmering in wine and beer). Where do
I sign? 3318 Steiner St. at Chestnut, 415-675-6755.

A tablehopper ready wrote in to let me know about a new dessert
café opening in the coming weeks, ~DELISE~.
I'm especially excited about this project because Dennis and Eloise
Leung are behind it—they used to run the pastry kitchen of Bong Su
before it closed down, and are wicked talented. The site mentions
"healthy gourmet pastries and frozen desserts that are lovingly handcrafted
in small batches daily. We only use the highest quality ingredients
which are organic, sustainable and sourced from local producers whenever
possible." I also heard they will be serving coffee from Four Barrel,
and gourmet ice cream. I'll keep you posted on the opening date—you
can follow their blog here.
327 Bay St. at Powell.

This is promising: ~BIG
4~ in the Huntington Hotel is reopening for lunch
on Thursdays and Fridays only, starting September 17th–18th.
Nob Hill ladies rejoice! Lunch will be served between 11:30am–3pm.
The bar will be open all day on those two days as well. 1075
California St. at Taylor, 415-771-1140.

If you're as obsessed with Masumoto
Family Farm peaches as much I am, you will want to swing
by Book Passage in
the Ferry Building this Saturday August 29th at 1pm. ~MAS MASUMOTO~ will
be reading from his newest book, Wisdom of the Last Farmer:
Harvesting Legacies from the Land.

I was already driving up to Tahoe when the first ~STREET
FOOD FEST~ kicked off on Saturday. Was sorry to miss
it, but then again, I might not have been able to enjoy it unless
I got there super early. Yes, people were upset with the insane
lines (you can see some pics of the madness here)
and the delicious food running out, but here's a heartfelt thank
you note on the Street Food homepage (hey,
just trying to keep things in perspective). And Bay
Area Bites posted a nice slideshow of the event, and
dang you Beer
& Nosh, must you always make me hungry and thirsty with
your pictures? Here's to another event next year, taking over five blocks!

The Wild Nunavut Arctic Char season is winding down (it's only
eight weeks), and on Monday August 31st, CleanFish and ~WATERBAR~ will
be presenting a special dinner with this oh-so-tasty fish as the star
feature. Here's a PDF
of the menu; the dinner is $125 for four courses and wine pairings.
It's a group thing: guests will sit at their own individual tables,
but the dinner starts at 6pm. You can also have any questions about
char answered at the event. Tickets can be purchased here on waterbarsf.com or
by calling 415-284-9922. 399 The Embarcadero at Folsom.

Over in Oakland, ~CHOP BAR~ is opening this week in the Mono
space; the project is from Chris Pastena of CODA, plus Lev Delany,
and Jesse Branstetter. It's designed to be a local hangout, with served
tapas style (but it's not Spanish), using local ingredients, plus there's
a wine bar (there will be six reds and two whites on tap). There's
full coffee service in the mornings, and lunch will include salads
and sandwiches. The dining room has room for 25, plus there's a bar
that seats 15, and a patio with room for about 20 people. Jim Maxwell
of Architects II created a space using all reclaimed, recycled, and
reused materials. Hours are 7am–11pm. 247 4th St. at Jackson, Oakland,
510-834-2467.

Due to open next Tuesday September 1st is ~BOCANOVA~,
the new Pan-American restaurant from Rick Hackett
(MarketBar) and his wife and partner, Meredith
Melville. The restaurant is opening on Oakland's
Jack London Square in a restored 1920's vintage
icehouse with waterfront views in a 6,500-square-foot
space designed by Michael Guthrie (Bix, Myth, Zinnia). The genesis
of the restaurant is a bit like how Nopalito came to be: the staff
meals at MarketBar were so good that Hackett was inspired to open
a restaurant concept highlighting the food from his Peruvian sous
chef and mostly Hispanic staff. As he started researching the dishes,
the territory for the cuisine keep expanding, spanning Central and
South America, while using quality local/sustainable/organic ingredients.
A look at the pre-opening menu includes dishes like Dungeness crab
deviled eggs/chipotle aioli ($9); petrale sole seafood taco with
pickled fennel and carrots ($9); braised lamb with pasilla peppers
and honey ($15); and Argentine mixed grill and South American sofrito
($21). Jack London Square, 55 Webster St., Oakland, 510-444-1233.

Got
a hot tip? You know I'd love
it (and you). Just reply to this email.

Hot
Valencia Corridor restaurant/retail space available!

This
building is located along San Francisco's vibrant
and busy Valencia Corridor in the Mission District.
Built in the 1920s, this steel-reinforced building
has a magnificent facade with great character that
is perfect for a restaurant or retail business. Equipped
with 400 amp, 3 phase service, brand-new plumbing/sewer,
and is planning approved. Landlord is flexible and
motivated to work with the right tenant.

AUGUST
11, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO I have wanted to attend one of the ~DINNERS IN
THE BARN~ since chef Mark Estee of Moody's
Bistro &
Lounge in Truckee told me about it last year
(the event's first year was in 2007). I constantly
tell people heading to the Sierras to check out Moody's—Estee
is so dedicated to using quality products from local
and sustainable purveyors, a bit more challenging to
source and do in the Sierras than in the Bay Area.
The Moody's menu is full of such delicious seasonal
fare.

Last
year I interviewed Estee for a piece I wrote for
the Pebble Beach Food & Wine guide about chefs
and farmers. He told me about the organic farmer he's
been working closely with for the past seven years,
Gary Romano of Sierra
Valley Farms in Beckwourth, near Sierraville.
They have a really symbiotic working relationship—it's
almost like Moody's "adopted" the farm. Estee has altered
his menu to be a daily one—it's now designed to integrate
the supply of produce he gets each day from Romano
and other farmers, and he tries to take on as much
produce as he can. Estee and Romano have also worked
together to grow special vegetables, and host fundraising
events for a modern greenhouse on the farm.

Gary Romano and his family are well known in the area:
they host an organic
farmer's market each Friday in
the summer, the only on-farm Certified Farmers Market
in California. It features produce from other farmers,
fish, grass-fed beef, and all kinds of products (including
their house-made horseradish!). There's even a cooking
demo on Fridays hosted by local guest chefs who make
the trek out to the farm.

And what a farm it is: the Sierra Valley is gorgeous,
with grazing cattle (I almost felt like I was in Montana)
and sprawling fields surrounded by tree-covered mountains.
Romano's 65-acre farm (it was much larger in the past,
at 900 acres) has been in his family for three generations—it
was once a dairy, and became a certified organic farm
in 1999. It's also a native plant nursery. The Romano
family grows broccoli, radishes, greens, beets, carrots
(all items we got to taste at the dinner), plus asparagus,
horseradish, micro greens, spring mix, and he's even
experimenting with growing wasabi! (You can read the
entire lineup of incredible produce the Romanos grow here.)

The
meal took place in a barn that Romano's uncles built,
dating back to 1936. It's creaky and full of character,
with a lovely view of the fields and the Sierra Valley
at the end of the table. The Moody's kitchen crew
was busy chopping and cooking at their outdoor kitchen
setup while we took a tour of the farm with Gary
Romano. When it was time to sit down for sold-out
dinner (81 folks in all), the POS Band was just kicking
in—and even though their name stands for "Piece of
Sh*t," I must disagree.

There was such a friendly group of folks seated at
the long table—I mean, think about it: why would nasty
asocial people come to a farm dinner? Exactly. And
then the dishes started to come out, starting with
individual bowls of the creamiest Anson Mills polenta
topped with a poached farm egg (from Shelley Long in
Vinton) and Gary's braised greens with hot pepper and
potato. What a dish—so homey, and flavorful. I could
have just had this and gone away happy, no joke. And
I have no idea how they managed to cook so many perfectly
poached eggs for everyone, but they did.

Time
for the next course: a salad of plump and bright
red beefsteak tomatoes from Heidi Watanabe, inspiring
oohs and ahhs from everyone as the platters landed
on the table. These sweet beauties were served slightly
chilled with pine nuts, roasted garlic, shavings of
Parmesan, and olive oil and balsamic, a simple and
lovely combination that was creamy, nutty, and tangy.

My
jaw dropped over the mixed platter of roasted broccoli,
beets, and baby carrots that were just picked 1 1/2
hours prior to the dinner, remarkable. The beets
were loaded with flavor, packed with sugary goodness,
and so beautiful. If I could eat vegetables like that
each day, it would almost be enough for me to be a
vegetarian. (Like I said, almost.)

But
my favorite was the quick-braised cabbage dish with
sliced radishes: so tender, with bright acidity from
apple cider vinegar and white wine playing alongside
the roasted and sugar-sweet cherry tomatoes, also
from Heidi Watanabe. What's remarkable is the kitchen
crew doesn't really know what vegetables they're
going to be cooking with for the dinner until they
get to the farm that day. Impressive.

A platter overflowing with fish and meat came to the
table, including some of the most delicious braised
short ribs I've had in a while (from Five Dot Ranch)—the
chef de cuisine at Moody's, Guy Frenette, had the ribs
braising overnight at the restaurant. There was also
thinly sliced New York steak, plus juicy Coho sockeye
salmon topped with Dungeness crab relish (with balsamic).

Now,
dessert is where things really made me swoon: Moody's
pasty chef, Lindsey Morgan, is quite the talent (she
used to do pastry in San Francisco, working with
Jane Tseng of A16 at Charles Nob Hill together, when
Melissa Perello and Ryan Farr were there). She also
did an on-the-fly creation: a tomato and berry bread
pudding that she made with ciabatta, an eggy and custardy
wonder that was served with corn ice cream and a pink
peppercorn caramel. It stands testament to her dessert
that after such a filling meal, there was nary a bite
left on any plates. Thank you for getting up at 5am
to make that wonderful dessert, Lindsey. I am just
heartbroken that I never get to eat it again—she
said she only likes to make her desserts once, no
repeats! (Sob.)

As the sun set behind the mountains and people started
making their way to their cars, strangers (now friends)
were hugging goodbye. Everyone was happy, relaxed,
and yes, quite sated. People coming together over such
clean food is really powerful, especially when you
can look the person who grew it right in the eyes.

Thank you Gary Romano and Mark Estee for making these
meals happen, and to everyone who helps them, from
the kitchen staff to the farm crew to the servers…
and the generations of Romanos who have tended that
land for over 100 years.

If you'd like to attend a Dinner in the Barn next
summer (and I know you do), sign up for the Moody's
newsletter here.
Since they sell out, you'll want to act quickly once
it's announced.

For more on the Romano family and their farming
methods, read this wonderful profile by Tana Butler
on I
Heart Farms.

The Cheese
School of San Francisco is on a mission
to help San Francisco Bay Area restaurants and
retail shops raise their cheese IQ. Send us your
chefs, servers, sommeliers, cheesemongers, and
other serious foodies for three delicious days
of tasting, demonstration, discussion, and lecture—we'll
deliver back to you enthusiastic cheese aficionados
who are at the head of the class when it comes
to sourcing, caring for, selling, and serving
premium cheeses at a professional level.

Our Three-Day
Intensive Cheese Education Program is back
again by popular demand, following rave
reviews of our program last spring. The fall program,
to be held October 11-13, is led again by Daphne Zepos,
a veteran instructor who helped create the 'Master
Class' program at Artisanal Premium Cheese Center in
New York. A program overview and registration form, including
payment and cancellation policy details is available here (a
PDF). Higher learning never tasted so good!

AUGUST 25, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO I
wanted to share a few more details about the half-off
wine promo going on in honor of ~FIFTH
FLOOR'S~ ten-year anniversary. It's actually
extending through Labor Day (September 7th), and you
can have half-off on bottles, or half-bottles. For you
trophy hunters, rare and one-of-a-kind selections such
as the Sine Qua Non "The Other Hand," Central Coast (1995)
and a double magnum of Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon
(2002) are available for $220–$600 a bottle. Click
here to explore the Fifth Floor's wine list. 12
Fourth St. at Market, 415-348-1555.

Want
to really get some red teeth going? The Howell Mountain
Vintners & Growers Association is hosting
an event in San Francisco, the ~HOWELL
MOUNTAIN WINES OF DISTINCTION TASTING~ on
Monday August 31st. You can look at the list of participating
wineries here.
Free to the trade from 2pm–6pm, and the public is welcome
from 4pm–6pm for $45. Click
here to register (if you're with the trade),
or to buy tickets. Bently Reserve, 301 Battery St. at
Sacramento.

Spruce is kicking off ~SPRUCE WINE UNIVERSITY~,
a series of monthly wine education classes one Tuesday
every month. Each course will be taught by one of Spruce's
sommeliers, and will include a variety of different wines,
both old and new world; side-by-side and blind tastings;
and more. Each class will be priced according to the
wines sampled. The Wonderful World of Wine, the first
in the series, is scheduled for Tuesday September 8th.
It's an introductory course that will include information
on the winemaking process; details about the major wine
producing countries; a discussion on New World vs. Old
World traditions and profiles of wines; climate and growing
condition information; and finally, a tasting of five
wines from around the world along with a breakdown of
"How To" blind taste. $75, inclusive of tax, gratuity
not included. Classes begin at 6:30pm, and last approximately
90 minutes. Reserve at 415-931-5100. 3640 Sacramento
St. at Spruce.

AUGUST 25, 2009 | SAN FRANCISCO On
Labor Day, Monday September 7th, one year
after Slow Food Nation, Slow Food San Francisco
returns to San Francisco's Civic Center for a public potluck ~EAT-IN~ in
support of its national Time For Lunch Campaign
to bring real food to the country's public schools. Based
on the premise that everyone is entitled to food that
is "Good, Clean and Fair," and that our children
deserve fresh, healthy food, Labor Day Eat-Ins
will take place throughout the country. To
date, 267 Eat-Ins are planned across the nation.

There is no admission price for the Eat-Ins. Since
Slow Food will provide tables and seating, those attending are asked to
sign up here. Everyone
is welcome and attendees are asked to bring their
own plates and utensils as well as a favorite dish
to share.

Eat-Ins will feature speakers, including politicians,
organize letter-writing campaigns and phone banks, and
circulate a petition aimed at the Child Nutrition Reauthorization
before Congress this fall. This legislative act determines
funds and standards for food in schools programs.

The Child Nutrition Act is the bill that governs
the National School Lunch Program, and is up for reauthorization
in Congress. The National School Lunch Program provides
a meal to more than 30 million children every school
day. To read The Time for Lunch Policy Platform, click
here (it's a PDF).

And up in Healdsburg, the lovely Anne Hathaway was seen with
her boyfriend, Adam Shulman, at The Spa Hotel Healdsburg last
Friday. Apparently she attended a wedding at the luxe wine country
hotel that was catered by Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen.

Devil's
Gulch Ranch in
California's North Coast is seeking a year-round, full-time
cook (position available now). You get a small place
to live on the ranch, included along with something
kind of resembling a salary. Must be able to drive
and manage a mobile food facility (taco wagon). For
three months during the summer, this cook (you) will
be responsible for food service for the staff and campers
at our Summer Camps (+/- 50 people). The remainder
of the year, the "Taco
Wagon" could be available to you on a share basis,
or…? It would probably go to several of the farmers'
markets, cooking and selling the products from Devils
Gulch Ranch. Events and catering, also. Single or couple
OK.